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Nov 21, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Saurav Sarkar |Suresh Nellikode |Frida Berrigan |Vidyadhar Date
Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Suresh Nellikode |Aayushi Bengani |Athmanathan Indrajith |Haider Abbas
The Vatican, a tiny, enigmatic seat of power with a global reach, remains a realm few can fully comprehend. Though spanning only 108 acres—about the size of a golf course—it stands as the sole sovereign nation capable of influencing the lives of over two billion Christians worldwide. Its unique structure makes it an absolute monarchy, not inherited by familial ties but governed by spiritual authority, with a population of fewer than 1,800 residents.
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Oct 28, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Aayushi Bengani |Athmanathan Indrajith |Haider Abbas |Suresh Nellikode
Angammal opens with an elderly woman telling a story to her granddaughter. The story is of the wild winds that visited their village a few decades ago and took away many persons and animals with it. The grandmother narrates that the winds carried the smell of a flower that touched everyone’s spirits in the village, and reveals that her mother had the flower tattooed on her upper arm and she wants the same for her granddaughter.
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Oct 6, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Athmanathan Indrajith |Haider Abbas |Suresh Nellikode |Udayakumar Vijayan
My friends invited me to join them for the screening of ‘Perfect Days’ movie. In spite of my submission work, I decided to go for the screening as they mentioned it was a story of a ‘Toilet Cleaner’ in Japan. As the screening happened in a small room with a huge crowd, me and my friend decided to sit down and watch it. Before the movie, they screened a short introduction video of ‘The Tokyo Toilet’ project, where the three minute video was merely a glorification of the architects of the projects.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Haider Abbas |Suresh Nellikode |Udayakumar Vijayan |Sunitha Palaveettil
I watched the three-parts docu-series ‘Angry Young Men’ based on the lives and times of the writer duo Salim-Javed, with quite an attention, as both these men, despite the fact, to have changed the tide of Indian cinema, are yet most reviled for the only one fact. They are Muslims or have Muslim names. Their children also have the same.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Thomas Klikauer |Suresh Nellikode |Medea Benjamin |Amir Nour
Delayed release of surplus water from Sardar Sarovar Project causes involuntary displacement of people, without prior rehabilitation violating Article 21 of the Constitution- Appeal for timely release of water To Shri Raj Kumar Chief SecretaryGovt of Gujarat DearShri Raj Kumar, Kindly refer to my letter of 14th August 2024 on the subject appealing to the Sardar Sarovar Project authorities to release surplus water on time in order to avoid involuntary displacement of people due to submergence,...
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Suresh Nellikode |Udayakumar Vijayan |Sunitha Palaveettil |Debarati Gupta
As Canada embraces the beauty of autumn and steps into the chilly onset of winter, the city of Toronto once again witnessed the curtain fall on the ‘festival of festivals.’ Over 250 films, representing 70 countries, captivated an audience of nearly 350,000 across 25 venues over the course of 11 days.
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Sep 11, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Debarati Gupta |Vidyarthy Chatterjee |Suresh Nellikode |Sunitha Palaveettil
Siddiq Paravoor’s The Land of Solomon is a poignant exploration of the human spirit and the enduring power of identity, belonging and the value of one’s roots. The movie follows Solomon who, with unwavering determination, resists selling his ancestral land and home, despite being torn between this connection and his love for his wife Clara and his son.
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Sep 6, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Debarati Gupta |Vidyarthy Chatterjee |Suresh Nellikode |Vidyadhar Date
As this year’s Venice Film Festival approaches, my thoughts are unexpectedly drawn not to a particular film but to the haunting music of Eiko Ishibashi—a melody that resonates more profoundly than any cinematic memory. This connection isn’t as strange as it might seem; after all, it was Ishibashi’s music that served as the creative spark for last year’s Grand Prix-winning film, Evil Does Not Exist, directed by the Oscar-winning Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Vidyarthy Chatterjee |Suresh Nellikode |Vidyadhar Date |Aditya Modak
In the past quarter century or so, New Marathi Cinema has come to be enriched by important contributions from several young directors, including Mumbai-based Chaitanya Tamhane. Tamhane’s debut film, Court, won the Swarna Kamal in 2013. Tamhane was then only 29 years of age, weaned more on theatre than any other art form. Yet, strikingly, even whilst occasionally reminding the viewer of the director’s preoccupation with theatre, Court is never burdened with any trace of theatricality.
